Westerly, R.I.—After running more than 3,200 miles,University of Massachusetts Amherst professor and veteran distance runner Glenn Caffery is finally arriving at his destination of Westerly, R.I., on Aug. 17.

A welcoming party will be held to greet Caffery and join him the last few miles of his run. Caffery is scheduled to arrive in the Misquamicut State Beach area at 7 pm, and the welcoming party will be held then outside of the Windjammer Lounge on 321 Atlantic Ave. in Westerly.

Caffery began his Cure Alzheimer’s Run in Seaside, Ore., on May 19 to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment. His father, Dick Caffery, passed away in 2002 after battling the disease for 13 years, and Caffery said his goal was to raise $20,000 to donate to finding a cure for the disease. Since starting his run, Caffery has raised nearly $17,000.

“It feels so good when someone makes a donation because then I know it’s going directly toward curing this disease,” said Caffery. “I am amazed by the generosity of the donations and so excited that people have been making them. Research is the solution.”

All of the money Caffery raised will be donated to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund™, a nonprofit organization devoted to funding and supporting research with the highest probability of preventing, stopping or reversing Alzheimer’s disease. Donations can still be made to Caffery’s run at www.curealzfund.org/donate/. To learn more about his run, visit www.alzrun.org.

“What’s been essential is that so many people have brought so much meaning to this run beyond me because they really believe in doing something for Alzheimer’s disease,” Caffery said. “The folks who have experienced Alzheimer’s in their family know how much this run means. They know what it feels like to be so powerless when someone in their family is suffering from it. My run was a way to bring people together to make a statement. It didn’t feel like a solo effort.”

“Glenn’s incredible feat is inspiring on so many levels,”said Tim Armour, president of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. “It shows that even just one person can make a difference in the search for a better treatment and cure for Alzheimer’s.”

Caffery, a 49-year-old professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, averaged about 50 miles a day, using only a jogging stroller for supplies and staying with friends or people he met along the way.

On July 12, Caffery stopped in Minneapolis to visit his daughter, Celia, after running nearly 2,000 miles in 55 days. He visited his other daughter, Emily, in Ann Arbor, Mich., and made his last stop in Wallingford, Conn., to visit his mother Dolores Caffery.

“I’m just so moved by how many wonderful people there are around the country,” said Caffery. “I am so impressed with how people are just so generous and wonderful. That’s been a real personal reward from the trip.”